


The Mysterious Adventures of Connor, Boy Detective

by KilotheMonster



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: A Boy and His Robot, Adorable Connor, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Human, Amnesia, Android Hank Anderson, Everyone are Children, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Kid Fic, Meddling Kids, Memory Loss, Mystery Stories, Not Kid Friendly Kids, Protective Hank Anderson, Role Reversal, Tragic Backstories R Us, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 14:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15632889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KilotheMonster/pseuds/KilotheMonster
Summary: Connor, an aspiring detective, adjusts to sixth grade life in the year 2038 at Kamski School of Technology, Detroit with his best friend Markus and classmates Simon, Josh, and North. Who would have thought that finding a deactivated but intact police android prototype would be an experience to set a precedence for the rest of the students lives? Sometimes family is a robocop, his five human children, and a school mascot dog.Buckle up, buttercups, it’s the RoboDadAction!Hank AU only I asked for.





	1. The Case of the Vanishing Silver Dollar

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Rated T for swearing and other crude language. Check out LT-Hunk @ Tumblr for more character development, interaction, and worldbuilding.

Considering the value of a 1928 Peace Silver Dollar, keeping it on his person at all times was not Connor’s wisest decision. Connor may have been one of the best and brightest at Kamski School of Technology, Detroit, however, he was still an eleven year old boy, a demographic of human beings not known for their wisdom. Young boys are quite the opposite in fact.

It was less about being made of ninety percent silver and being minted over a century ago that gave this silver dollar its value. Not even it being somewhat of a family heirloom matter that much, Connor had been too young to have ever formed a connection with them before… The only family Connor knew was his older brother, who had known them, and it was from his brother that he had received the silver dollar.

It had been their last summer together before he would go off to a higher level prep school, while Connor would continue on at KamTech for another three years. The silver dollar was the embodiment of tangible memories and physical connection between the two brothers. Why wouldn’t Connor always have it with him? It was priceless.

And now it was plummeting over the edge of the walkway into a storm drain canal…

“Nice trick, Connor.” North was the first to speak up out of the five kids leaning over the railing. “You made it disappear.” 

Connor, already running back to side of the bridge and looking for away down at this point, didn’t bother to make a quip back at her. Markus was not far behind. Simon made a wary glance at Josh, who only shrugged.

“We’ll keep a lookout,” Josh called out. For what, he wasn’t sure, but it seemed like a good enough excuse to not follow.

The steep slope of the concrete drain walls were about eight feet high, slick with condensation and patches of algae slime. They could slide down into the basin, but getting back out would be the hard part. Following the path of the concrete canal, Connor could see a maintenance ladder farther down. That was all the confirmation he needed before sliding over the side into the basin.

Citizens of Detroit had taken to treating this area like a dumping free for all, and the city seemed to turn a blind eye to the whole thing. Numerous soggy cardboard boxes, trash bags with questionable contents, remnants of discount IKEA furniture, there was even some moldy sofas and recliners that had seen better far better days. Connor was pretty sure that the pile towering before him was infested with hazards of almost every variety, but that wasn’t going to stop him from seeking out his most prized possession, not to mention that his brother would destroy him if he found out that Connor had lost it.

Reaching back into the side pocket of his backpack, Connor retrieved a tablet that he had modified to assist in his investigations. As he loaded up his detection application, Markus had reached his side.

“Can that find it?” Markus asked as he caught his breath.

“Well,” Connor began, not looking up from the tablet. “It can scan and identify a large database of different materials using this sensor. So, maybe?”

“Oh yeah?” North interjected, having followed the two boys into the basin. “Does it detect bullshit?”

“Probably, yeah,” Connor replied, still focused on the tablet screen. “By analyzing the specific composition of the fecal matter, it would be able identify the source down to the animal species.”

“Ew, it’s less fun when you answer for real.”

“That’s why I do it,” he called back before he began to climb the towering pile before him. This was probably going to ruin his school uniform, but the crisp autumn air was too chilly for Connor to want to shed his uniform jacket.

The tablet scanned through the rubble and refuse for any trace of silver. Though it was capable of detecting metals through such materials, Connor tossed loose planks and cardboard off to the side with his free hand to improve his maneuverability. Markus followed suit, clearing what trash he could while North continued to watch with a look of disgust.

Connor had made it halfway up the trash heap before his tablet made a positive detection for silver.

“It looks like it’s here!” he exclaimed, causing Markus to come to a halt in his digging. As Connor began to assess the area, he positioned his feet right above an arrangement of junk that created a dark crevasse. The flashlight on the tablet beamed into the darkness, and sure enough there was the unmistakable glint of silver at the its bottom. Connor squinted to see where the coin had come to rest more clearly, the outline of a leather glove…

Connor recoiled backwards from the opening and into Markus, who had been standing behind him.

“W-what is it?” Markus yelped, eyes wide and searching for some explanation on Connor’s face.

“It looks like there’s a hand in there,” Connor whimpered, his voice wavering with growing anxiety.

“Like a dead body?!” North shouted a little too enthusiastically. 

“Maybe we should call the cops?” Josh yelled down from the walkway vantage point above them.

“FUCK THE POLICE!” North declared with righteous indignation, pumping both fists into the air. She looks back over at Connor, who had started to fiddle with his tablet again. “CONNOR, YOU BETTER NOT.”

“I’m not calling them, yet, North,” he replied. “I can verify whether there is organic material, which could indicate a body.” A few more swipes and taps on the screen, Connor didn’t think he would have had to utilize this feature so soon. “If it is, then, we have no choice but to report it.”

As the tablet scanned the area below them, an image assembled itself on the screen. It was negative for organic material, but there was detection of plastics, silicone, metal alloys, and thirium. 

“It’s an android!” Connor announced in relief. North let out a groan of disappointment, having already made her way up to where Connor and Markus stood to see a dead body. As soon as Connor had said ‘android’, Simon had taken off toward the basin, and it wasn’t long before Josh left his self-imposed post as well.

“Let’s get it out of there,” said Markus. “There’s gotta be rope or something around here.”

“Lemme get my coin first,” Connor countered. The coin was just out of reach when he tried to just pick it up, against his better judgment. It took him and Simon shifting the trash forming the hole opening to close the distance. Connor wiped the silver dollar on his sleeve and did a quick inspection before sticking it back in his pocket. He noted that in the future, he will only do coin tricks in a more secure area.

Markus and Josh stepped forward with some discarded cabling, the closest rope-like thing they could find with enough length to reach the android’s hand and allow all five kids to take a hold of it. It took several attempts before the loop of wiring was secured around the android’s wrist.

“Okay, on the count of three,” Markus instructed, tapping into his natural leader skill, “We all gotta pull.” The other children nodded in understanding and shuffled themselves around on the line. Josh, being the tallest, went down to the concrete basin to act as an anchor. In front of him was North, whose stubbornness and unmatched sheer force of will fueled her strength. Then it was Connor, then Simon, and finally Markus at the lead.

“One,” he began. Everyone tightened their grip.  
“Two!” They all shifted their stance into more stable positions.  
“THREE! PULL!”

Each kid mustered all of their might and pulled on the wiring. Connor considered that in all likelihood, the android would find itself caught on something. Josh and North held strong in the back, able to move a couple steps backwards. Connor, Simon, and Markus had a harder time just on principle that they were on unstable ground.

“Alright, we gotta just pull the wire,” Markus called over his shoulder. “One, two, three, heave!”

A couple feet of the cable was able to pool behind Josh. Another pull of the cable and Markus could see the android’s hand peek out of the trash.

“We’ve almost got it! A little more! One, two, three, heave!”

Something must have shaken loose, because the tension on the wire disappeared as everyone started to topple backwards, tumbling back down to the concrete basin. Loose articles of trash fell with them, hitting a few of them on the head. Connor dusted himself off took Markus’ hand to get himself back on his feet.

“Everyone okay?” Simon mumbled. Everyone muttered some form of affirmative as they assessed the damage on their uniforms. Connor was the first to look to see what they had pulled out of the trash.

It looked as though the android had been there for a long while, with a consistent coat of dirt and grime all over. Despite lower half of the android still being within the junk pile, Connor could tell from its broad shoulders that it was a larger than average android. He would have guessed that it was a trapped utility labor android if it wasn’t for the Detroit Police Department crest on the shoulder of its blue uniform. Underneath the Cyberlife logo placed squarely between the shoulder blades was the model number LT800.

“Huh,” Connor said out loud. The model number sounded familiar for some reason, but he’s never seen a police model android look like this one. He stepped closer to get a better look of the android’s face. Sandy colored hair, a strong brow, deep set eyes, large jaw and nose. If it was designed to look intimidating, CyberLife had gotten that right. Even its neutral expression looked as though it was perpetually perturbed. The android’s empty gaze was low, but Connor could see that the irises were a striking blue color.

“Ugh, it’s a cop,” North spat. “Gotta put it back. Or burn it. Let’s burn it.”

“But what is a cop android doing in a ditch?” Markus mused with his head cocked to the side.

Connor looked back at the other kids with a lopsided grin. “Looks like we’ve got a mystery on our hands!”


	2. The Case of the Dysfunctional Android

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids meet LT800.

Connor hovered over the deactivated android, scouring its form for any clues. The kids had managed to pull the rest of the android from the pile and moved the body so it was resting on the basin and leaning back against some trash. From the looks of it, it had been there for a good while, long enough where there weren’t any traces of how it got there.

Underneath the layers of grime, there were some shallow abrasions on its face, exposing the white chassis beneath. The uniform remained intact aside from some bullet holes in its left shoulder and right, lower thigh: Non-vital areas.

It was difficult to determine any other damage from the surface, so Connor retrieved his tablet for another analysis. CyberLife had released a basic diagnostic application to assist consumers with basic troubleshooting on their androids. It could tell what is wrong, but only suggest to bring the defective android to a maintenance center.

The scan initiated and in a matter of seconds it turned up...nothing, citing that model identification of this android was not available.

“Yeah, a prototype police model wouldn’t be available to the public,” Connor mumbled to himself. “But why does this model number seem familiar?”

He proceeded to root around in his digital stash of periodicals and case files on his tablet. It was good light reading material when using public transportation, he would tell his classmates, and the severity of Connor’s nerdiness would finally dawn on them.

//Search: “LT800”

A Detroit Today article from 2028 was the first result displayed. The headline read: Advanced CyberLife Prototype Android Played Integral Part in Biggest Red Ice Bust to Date 

“Whoa,” Connor uttered in awe. Alerted, Markus leaned over his shoulder to have a look. “This android was part of the Red Ice Task Force in 2028.”

“It’s as old as us,” Markus noted with a soft giggle. “It doesn’t look like it’s been here that long, though.”

“No,” Connor agreed, glancing at the second result in the search: A summary of a DPD case file from October 2035. The young detective skimmed over the text and read aloud, “October 11th, 2035. Hostage situation. Victim’s identity redacted. LT800 model android assisted the SWAT team in tracking and infiltration.” Connor looked up at Markus with a solemn expression. “Mission had failed.”

“So, they trashed it after a failed mission?” Markus speculated, his somber face reflecting a deep sympathy. The ease at which people could discard androids had always unsettled him. “If it had a good record ‘til that, why get rid of it?” 

“The file doesn’t say,” Connor replied. “If it was decommissioned, it would have been disassembled at CyberLife. It was a prototype. It shouldn’t be here if that was the case.”

Simon piped up timidly, “Prototypes have experimental components and it looks like this android is still intact.”

Josh’s interest peaked at the sound of critical thinking and problem solving, moving closer to the conversation. “Does the file say anything about what happened that made the mission fail? ‘Cause maybe that’s why it’s here?”

“It’s...pretty bare,” Connor informed the group. The news articles about the incident were also vague: SWAT called in to defuse hostage situation that developed from a home invasion. Suspect had ties to red ice dealers. LT800 was attached to SWAT unit for support. The hostage was killed, but there was no details other than suspect was provoked, LT800 took gunfire, hostage executed by suspect, and SWAT neutralized suspect. There was nothing about what became of the LT800 after that.

Markus scratched the side of his head, debating whether or not he should state the obvious or not. After settling that solutions don’t necessarily need to be complicated, he drew in a breath before asking, “Can we, I dunno, just ask it? The android?”

Connor looked over to Simon, resident robotics technology track student, “What do you think? Does it look salvageable?”

Simon picked at a curl of hair while he mulled over what he knew. “If there’s no critical damage to its biocomponents - ” his voice trailed off, his muted demeanor morphing into disbelief as he glanced over at the android. The other three boys followed his astonished gaze to see what North had been doing to entertain herself during the discussion. The android, still with its stern neutral expression, was now sporting a pair of sunglasses. With one arm wrapped around its neck and giving a middle finger, North was snapping crude selfies with her phone.

“Really?” Josh groaned, loud enough for North to hear him.

She lowered her phone, her face settling on appearing totally unfazed by the disappointed looks. Not breaking eye contact with them, North’s thumb made a few motions before there was a cacophony of notification alerts pings echoing off the concrete walls.

Already having his tablet in hand, Connor was the first to see that North had placed her selfie in the group chat, captioned “no fucks 2 give” trailed by a senseless string of emojis.

Connor could only roll his eyes while Markus stifled the beginnings of a snicker cracking on his face. Simon followed Markus’ lead, and Josh buried his face in the palm of his hand. North placed the sunglasses on top of her hat, gave the LT800 android a mock punch to its strong jaw before stepping away and making an exaggerated ‘all yours’ gesture.

“So…” Connor continued, “you were saying, Simon?”

“Oh, yeah!” Simon moved to kneel next to the android on its right side. “If the androids major biocomponents still work, which is probable, and it hasn’t lost too much thirium, it should power on.” His finger on the dark circle on its temple, Simon shifted it slightly to the left to rest on camouflaged pressure button. “Here goes nothing.”

And for a moment there was nothing. The boys held their breath. A faint whir of cooling fans breaking through the silence drew North’s interest again.

Click. Click. Click. Beep!

The LED illuminated a blazing red before flashing rapidly.

“Is that...good?” Markus questioned as Simon jumped back up to his feet.

“It’s booting,” he replied with astonishment.

The LED continued to flash at erratic intervals, no other indication of what processes were going on within the android. Once the LED shifted to yellow, the android’s eyelids fluttered in sync with the flashing. Curiosity drew all the kids to lean in closer. When the LED steadied to a solid yellow light, the android blinked once, and its gaze focused on the gathered audience.

A beat of silence as the android gained its cognitive bearings, its body stiff as thirium cycled through its system for the first time in years. Connor thought he would be the first to extend the olive branch.

“H-hello! My name is Connor.”

The android’s brows furrowed, steel blue eyes lighting up as it seemed to have a dawning realization.

“What. The. FUCK!” Its rough voice boomed through the crackle of static, causing all the kids to jump.

“Androids can say ‘fuck’?!” North beamed with excitement.

“Is all this profanity necessary?” Josh chided.

The android was still incapable of lifting itself off the trash bags it rested on, only the smallest movements of its head. “This is hell,” it huffed, throwing its head back dejected. “Android hell is real and I’m in it. Why am I not surprised?”

The kids looked at one another in bewilderment. They’ve never seen an android behave like this. Ever. 

“Umm,” Connor interjected. “You’re still in Detroit?”

The android lifted its head to give Connor an icy glare. “Same difference! Fuck, I was better off deactivated,” it sighed without breathing. At this point, the initial shock had worn off, and now the kids were brimming with excited energy.

Markus asked, “So what happened to you?”

North asked, “Did you kill anyone?”

Simon asked, “Are you okay?”

Josh asked, “Why are you so different?”

Connor asked. “Do you have a name?”

Now the android was looking baffled, LED cycling between red and yellow warily. A police android, especially one tailored for investigations, was more than familiar with interrogation. Things are different on the other side, however. It was still struggling as its processor continued to restore its motor functions. Something about children was making the android’s stress level rise, and the fact that no memory it is capable of accessing could explain why only stressed it out more.

The children continued to stare expectantly, jogging the android’s memory that they had asked several questions. Which one to answer? Name, it decided. Simple enough.

“LT,” the android replied. He paused, glancing at each child and recalculating his audience. “Or Hank, if you wanna be less formal about it. Now could ya quit crowdin’ me?”

Markus took that as a cue to take a step back, his arms outspread to help guide the other kids with him. Hank tried another motor function test. His joints were stiff, but as the blue blood circulated through his body, his range of motion was increasing. It was rigid, and slow-paced, but he was able to get himself to sit up on his own support.

“What’s the last thing you remember, Hank?” Connor inquired, eager to get to the bottom of this strange mystery. “I didn’t find any mentions of your model after 2035.”

“Sounds right,” Hank mused, focusing his attention on the functionality of his hands and arms. Then he realized that he hadn’t yet synced to the network. “Wait - what year is it now?”

“2038,” Markus answered.

“October.” Simon added.

“The 11th, specifically,” chimed Josh.

Hank’s face twisted in a grimace as the rest of his body stilled, LED flashing with intense alarm. It was just long enough for Connor realize the significance of the date.

“It’s been...three years exactly since your last mission, hasn’t it?”

Hank’s LED continued to alternate between red and yellow, his gaze distant. “That’s one hell of a coincidence - ”

“You sure talk weird for an android,” North noted. “Like if it wasn’t for your blinker there, I’d think you were actually a person.”

“His model was released 2027,” Connor pointed out. “That’s eight years of working with the Detroit Police to adapt speech patterns and mannerisms for better team integration.”

“It’s creepy how you know that,” Hank remarked. “You all talk weird for kids.”

“Heh, well, we are KamTech students, sixth grade,” informed Markus. “Private school and accelerated learning kinda does that.”

“Yeah, that explains it.” Hank settled into a more casual sitting position, not rushing to get to his feet while his body adjusted to operating again. He wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. He was going to need a washdown for sure, he thought. “So, what about you. All your folks high rollers or somethin’? Send ya off to super nerd school?” 

The kids looked at each other and shifted in awkward silence. Ever perceptive, Hank recognized that he had tread into uncertain territory and didn’t press that question any further. He looked away as if something else had caught his attention.

“Ah, yeah, ‘stranger danger’ and all that. I get it,” the android hummed. He turned to Connor, which made the boy tense up. “So I got that your name is Connor…” Hank then looked at each of the other kids, who realized that he had opened up the opportunity for introductions.

“I’m Markus, art track student and class president!”

“S-simon, robotics track student…”

“The name’s North. Law track, cyber crime focus.”

“And I’m Josh, engineering track student. I lead the class study group too.”

Hank’s stoic expression didn’t change, but he nodded in acknowledgement. “What about you, Connor? Since everyone else shared their life story.”

“Oh! I’m law track, like North, but my focus on forensics and criminology,” Connor preened.

“Got it,” said Hank. He shifted to rest an arm on his knee. “Well, no need to waste your time here anymore. Run along...or whatever. Not my business.”

“Well, umm,” Markus took charge. “We can call the police to pick you up.”

Hank’s jaw clenched, but otherwise he did not react. “Naw, not necessary, I’m good right here.”

“Aren’t you a cop?” North questioned, lifting her head to eye the android with suspicion.

“Yeah, doubt I still am, though, being gone for three years,” Hank mused, despondent. “Besides, I was never owned by the city. Prototypes belong to CyberLife. DPD would just send me back.”

Connor didn’t think androids could exhibit emotions, but it was clear that Hank was not an ordinary, off-the-shelf android. His programming seemed incredibly complex and highly adaptive, which made it all the more stranger that they had found him here.

“I thought you wanted to be deactivated,” North pressed, not shying away. “Having second thoughts?”

“Nah, just don’t want to be deactivated by those CyberLife assholes…”

Markus made a ‘huddle-up’ motion to round up the other kids for a pow-wow. “We can’t just leave him here.”

“He’d get picked off by scrappers for sure,” said Josh.

“Doesn’t seem like he wants our help,” North huffed. “Why should it be our problem then?”

“I’ve never seen an android this advanced before,” Simon murmured. “If he came back to the school with us, we can run better diagnostics.”

“Yeah!” Connor agreed. “We could help him with his memory, find out what happened three years ago!”

Hank was more than aware of the conversation, but said nothing. He just idled, taking in his surroundings. Three years had passed in a millisecond, but now that he was operating again, he could feel how time had worn on his body. 

When all the kids turned back to him, Hank leaned his head on the hand resting on his knee, anticipating their next action. He wasn't looking forward to it, but his programming had already identified a new task that he was compelled to follow.

“So, what’s next on the ol’ agenda, sport?”

"We're going back to KamTech," Markus informed as the other kids grinned beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More AU art and shenanigans can be found here: [LT-Hunk @ Tumblr](http://lt-hunk.tumblr.com). Thank you muchly for taking the time to read my goofy drabble, you enablers.


	3. The Case of the Kennel Caper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor, Markus, and Simon take up an extracurricular dog and robot husbandry assignment.

The open classroom air buzzed with energy brought on by the final stretch of the school day. The kids were back in homeroom after another routine day of classes. Connor was having difficulty focusing on what Miss Chloe was saying, a problem he never had before. Looking across the table at his tablemates, Simon and Markus, there was some relief that he was not the only one occupied with watching the clock. 

“Now, before we end class, we need to decide which students will be responsible for Sumo’s care this afternoon,” said Miss Chloe, her tone warm and sing-songy.

Sumo was the school’s unofficial mascot; a massive, fluffball of a St. Bernard, who had been rescued by a previous class a several years ago. There had been a student-wide petition to keep the dog on the campus. With the support of the guidance counselor, the students convinced Headmaster Stern and the rest of the school board make an agreement with the student body.

Having a dog would teach the students some responsibility and empathy for another living creature, and Sumo’s gentle demeanor offered a form of comfort therapy for the sensitive and homesick students. Every semester, a class in the sixth through eighth grades would be selected to take up the responsibility of caring for Sumo, and Miss Chloe’s homeroom had one the draw for the current semester.

Miss Chloe had not finished her sentence before Connor, Markus, and Simon all threw their hands up in the air to volunteer themselves as tribute. She flashed a bright smile in amusement. The boys’ enthusiasm never stopped being endearing. 

“Didn’t you boys take care of Sumo yesterday?” she asked with an upbeat canter.

The three of them looked at each other, hands still held high.

“Well,” Markus began diplomatically, “we just thought that maybe we could do the chores for the whole week. It’d be easier to keep track of and stay accountable.”

“I LIKE DOGS, MISS CHLOE,” Connor blurted out, completely unabashed in his intense feelings about man’s best friend. Markus shook his head, deciding to be embarrassed for him.

“Sumo is a very good dog,” added Simon.

Miss Chloe lifted her hand to her mouth in an attempt to mask her laughter from the class. “You’ve made a very convincing argument and there is no question to your dedication. I’ll trust that you boys will make sure Sumo is all set.”

“You can count on us,” Markus declared in his voice of authority.

The dismissal bell chimed through the classroom, and like the snapping of an overextended rubber band, all that anxious afternoon energy was released as students sprung to their feet and rushed to collect their backpacks. With her ever graceful stride, Miss Chloe made her way to the classroom door to wish each of the students a good afternoon as they departed.

“Thank you, Miss Chloe,” Connor called out as he scrambled over the door threshold, still pulling his backpack over his shoulder. Markus and Simon trailed behind him. They were making a beeline through the campus corridors toward Sumo’s dog run, which had been built across the courtyard closer to the dormitories. Despite the density of students grades one through eight pouring into the hallways, the boys still managed to weave through crowd at a quick pace.

“No running!” They heard the on-duty hall monitor shout as they passed by. The boys slowed down enough to placate the dutiful hall monitor.

“Sorry, John!” Markus called back, recognizing the kid from their same grade level. “You’re doing a great job, by the way!”

“Thank you!” John the hall monitor replied as the boys turned a corner.

As soon as they were out of the building, however, they were off again. Tucked away adjacent to the northern wing of the dormitories, Sumo’s dog run was a thirty by ten foot area of synthetic grass contained within a chainlink perimeter. One side of the run however was like a wooden shed with an opening for Sumo to go in and out of as he pleased.

“Helloooo, Sumo!” Simon called out as they all slowed to a stop once they reached the fence.

There was a gentle, booming BOOF coming from inside the shed in acknowledgement of his visitors, though after a few seconds of waiting, it was clear that Sumo had no intention of leaving the cover of the shed.

The three students walked along the perimeter to reach the backdoor of the shed. Markus entered the code and they all stepped inside. It was part dog house and part storage area for Sumo’s things. Near the dog door leading to the outdoor run was Sumo’s bed and by the bed was his food and water bowls. Cabinets on one wall of the shed stored food, treats, toys, and other doggie needs. 

The previous school year, the eighth graders were able to raise funds to add a waterline so there could be a sink in the shed after some incidents of students dropping water everywhere traveling between the dog run and the dorms. There were talks amongst the student body that the next upgrade for Sumo would be installing a TV to play those dog entertainment videos, so he doesn’t get lonely during the school day, the children had argued. 

Sumo was living in the lap of luxury by dog standards. He was content, however, to be currently living in the lap of his new guest, roommate, and best friend, Hank the police android, who sat in a corner of the shed, but only his upper body was really visible. The boys snickered at the sight.  
“Sumo, that can’t be that comfortable,” Markus giggled. Sumo lolled his head back to look at the kids, tongue out like a doggy grin.

When the five students had arrived back at the school the night they discovered Hank, the kids had decided that Sumo’s shed may be the best place to keep him at the moment while they pool together resources and knowledge to come up with a better solution. North seemed confident that she could call on a favor from some of the school faculty, so the boys didn’t tell her not to follow up that lead. It would not have stopped her, anyway.

Until then, Hank would stay with Sumo. It was a controlled space, and Markus, being the class president, could make sure only their friend group, which was forty five percent of the homeroom class, could access Sumo’s shed until they found a better spot. Sumo didn’t mind the company at all. It was hard to read whether the feeling was mutual on Hank’s end. He didn’t appear all that comfortable, but he was making no effort to get out from under the massive dog and was absently scritching Sumo behind the ears.

“Hi Hank! Hi Sumo!” Connor greeted, shrugging off his backpack to place beside the door. Sumo gave another lazy BOOF, his tail slowly wagging side to side.

“Sumo likes you a lot,” Simon grinned.

Hank looked up at the boys as they addressed him. Connor was sure that he wasn’t imagining that the android’s eyes still carried a sadness within them. “Doesn’t seem that hard to get on his good side,” Hank remarked as he gave Sumo a pat.

Connor nodded, “Sumo is a friend to all.”

Simon and Markus set down their school bags next to Connor’s and offered more pets for Sumo. He happily accepted, the wag of his tail picking up its pace. Simon looked up at Hank, a question written on his face as he stared at the LED that continued shine a steady yellow. It hasn’t been blue this whole time.

“Um, have you done a diagnostic yet, Hank?” Simon asked.

“What for?” Hank’s response was much more defensive than expected. Simon faltered, his gaze darting away from the android.

“W-well, just to see what your status is? If I have an idea, I can, umm, get supplies and tools and see what I could repair...” 

Hank considered continuing to deflect and be difficult, but he couldn’t ignore that Simon’s concern, as well as all of the kindness in from the kids general, was already being wasted on him, so not complying would make him an even bigger asshole than he already was, thus even less worthy of their generosity. “Alright, just - give me a sec, kid.” 

Sumo’s tail stopped wagging and his ears perked once Hank initiated his diagnostic check, the big dog’s head tilting at the blinking LED and twitching of the android’s face. After a few seconds, Hank’s LED went red and his eyes locking shut in a tight grimace, almost as if he was in pain, if androids could feel pain. 

“Hank?!” The boys cried out in unison, accompanied with a high pitched whine from Sumo. When Hank’s eyes reopened, his expression eased, though his LED did not change back to yellow. 

“What was that?” Connor stammered.

“Got a corruption in a major memory component,” the android muttered. “Low thirium levels, too.” 

The boys kept staring. Sumo grumbled before letting out a big huff through his nose. Hank had since stopped petting him, so he took the opportunity to stand up, stretch, then lumbered over to his water bowl for a drink.

“...oh,” Hank sighed while rolling his eyes, “uhh, diagnostic complete.”

“Don’t know why we didn’t think to bring thirium along with us. It’s such an obvious first step,” Markus said, seemingly disappointed in himself. As the de facto leader, he should have been on top of this. 

“It’s not that big of a deal, kid,” Hank replied, picking up on the boy’s discontent. “Forgetting something for an ol’ busted robot isn’t something to beat yourself up about. It’s not like I’ll shutdown any time soon or anything. It’s fine. You’ll get it next time.”

The frown on his face did not waver much, but Markus didn’t push the issue any further either. Meanwhile, Connor pondered the android’s behavior. He already had his theory that Hank had so many years to adapt to human interactions in the police force, but was it really all just software? It seemed clear to Connor that just now, Hank was showing empathy for Markus and was actively trying to ease his distress. He was also very self-aware. It was frighteningly human. 

In his research about CyberLife androids - and there was no information on the LT series out there as expected - Connor did come across in public forums and social media a number of accounts of androids expressing what’s being called “deviancy”: Androids gaining consciousness and deviating from their original programming. 

Was Hank, a decorated, highly advanced investigation android, deviant? And if so, did it factor into the events that played out three years ago?

Connor wanted to shake the notion out of his head, but no matter how cooperative Hank had been thus far, it couldn’t be ruled out as a possibility. And if Connor was honest with himself, it was the strongest one he had so far.

No judgment until we get all the evidence leading to the truth, he thought, a mantra that, as an aspiring detective, Connor made sure to never forget. If Hank’s side of the story can be recovered from that corrupted memory, that could change everything.

The gears were also turning in Simon’s head in this uncomfortably quiet moment. His fist rested against his mouth as he worked the problem of restoring Hank’s memory corruption. “What if,” Simon hummed, “if we can get Hank into the robotics lab and connect him to the equipment to figure out which memory blocks are corrupted. It’d help us with repairing what was lost.”

Hank frowned, not looking too excited by the prospect of regaining his memory. “Uh, don’t want to alarm you boys, but, I’ve had a lot of time just sittin’ here thinking,” the android paused, searching for the most appropriate words in his database that could best articulate this thought to children. “Maybe I’m better off without that memory?”

Simon’s eyes grew wider with shock. Connor and Markus looked at each other with worry.

“But if we knew what happened -” Connor had started before Hank raised a hand to signal that he was not finished speaking.

“It’s in the past, isn’t it? Knowin’ doesn’t change the outcome, doesn’t bring the victim back,” the android’s voice shook as his eyes avoided the children’s gaze. The stress level indication in his HUD climbing. “DPD moved on themselves. I think this is one of those ‘let sleepin’ dogs lie’ situations.”

Simon drew a long, morose sigh, “If that’s what you think is best…”

“Yeah, I guess” Markus interjected. “Probably better to worry about what we’re going to do with Hank now.”

Connor’s shoulders drooped, conceding defeat on this mystery for the moment. Curious to a fault, however, he knew that solving this puzzle would stay on the backburner of his mind until it’s resolved.

Markus proceeded to delegate tasks to the other boys to complete their original assignment of caring for Sumo, who had at this point excused himself to the outdoors. Simon would fill the food bowl and clean the water bowl. Connor grabbed a leash and proceeded to take Sumo for his daily walk around the campus. As usual, Sumo had to greet every student and teacher they came across, so it took a while. Markus cleaned up around the shed and dog run.

Hank had not moved from the corner, seeming to remain in a low power state. The red light of his LED recovered to yellow. Simon doubted it would turn blue unless they address the low thirium issue.

As the sun began to dip down behind the towering buildings surrounding the campus, Connor wrapped up Sumo’s walk. Once Sumo had settled, the boys gathered their bookbags and said their goodbyes. Markus and Simon left together, but Connor lingered, unable to shake the question of the day.

“What’s on your mind, Connor?” Hank asked, not lifting his head.

“A lot,” the boy replied in earnest.

“Yeah, mine, too,” was the android’s reply.

“Why don’t you want to remember what happened to you?”

Those sad, blue eyes peered over at Connor, and the yellow LED cycled several times as Hank gave his answer a moment of thought.

“It would destroy me,” he said cryptically. “And not in a pretty way…”

Connor shifted on his feet. He didn’t understand, but he still felt the heaviness in his chest. 

“Well,” Connor spoke up as he stood at the door, “You got us and Sumo, Hank. We wouldn’t let anything bad happen.” Sumo boofed in agreement.

“Night, kid.” 

As Connor stepped out of the shed, he swore he saw the android smiling softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, comics, drawings and more fun over at LT-Hunk @ Tumblr.


	4. The Case of the Crypto Cover-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North executes her plan to get Hank out of Sumo's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the only chapter that will have a chatlog format, I apologize in advance! It just seemed like an interesting perspective for storytelling.

[10-13-2038 09:14:34AM]  
**[Connor]** has added **[LT800]** to group chat **[Jeri-Clubhouse]**

[LT800]: sup  
[Markus]: UH?  
[Connor]: I thought we should keep Hank in the loop and have a way to contact us remotely.  
[Markus]: good idea, connor!  
[Markus]: hank can let us know if he’s in trouble or we need to give him a heads up.  
[LT800]: sumo says hi  
[Connor]: Hi, Sumo!  
[LT800] has attached an image: hellosumo.png [open][save]  
/>

[North]: oh good robocops here  
[Markus]: be nice  
[North]: i fcukin am!!!  
[North]: im makin things happen 4 robocop  
[North]: i dont c u doin shit assholes  
[LT800]: :thumbsup:  
[Connor]: Well, what ARE you doing, North?  
[North]: cant disclose that info, need 2 no only, dont worry abt it  
[Connor]: Now that you said that, I’m worried.  
[North]: dont b :)  
[Connor]: Now you used a smiley face! That means trouble!  
[North]: :) :) :)  
[Connor]: D8

[10-13-2038 10:44:12AM] 

[LT800]: hey  
[LT800]: can i request somethin?  
[Connor]: Of course!  
[LT800]: can someone bring me a book or two?  
[North]: arent u always on wifi??!!?  
[LT800]: y  
[LT800]: reading on paper takes more time  
[LT800]: ive got all kinds of time 2 kill  
[LT800]: can only pet sumo for so long b4 he gets tired of it  
[Josh] Wow, Sumo walking away from pets? Never thought that would happen.  
[LT800]: dont rub it in  
[LT800] has attached an image: ithoughtwhatwehadwasspecialsumo.png [open][save]  


[Simon]: aw  
[Josh]: Any pref in subject?  
[LT800]: nah, except maybe anything covering what i missed. mystery if u go fiction.  
[Josh]: I’ll see what I can find  
[LT800]: :thumbsup:  
[Markus]: no offense, hank, but can you understand fiction?  
[LT800]: if u thought I’d get offended y wouldn’t i understand fiction, Markus???  
[Markus]: sorry  
[LT800]: idc just fuckin w/ u  
[LT800]: *messin w/ u. cant swear @ kids  
[Markus]: lol if north does it, i don’t see why you can’t.  
[North]: fuck no!! im the only 1 w/ swearing privileges!!  
[North]: robocop has 2 earn it like every1 else  
[LT800]: rgr

[10-13-2038 10:28:50AM] 

[North]: HEY SIMON  
[Simon]: D: ya?  
[North]: yo i need ur help @ lunch 4 robocop  
[Simon]: ok?  
[North]: its not bad, just nerdass robot shit :)  
[Markus]: are you sure about that?  
[North]: 100% im in law track, i no whats legal  
[Josh]: Is that why you’re always breaking the law?  
[North]: look theres a sayin  
[North]: whats right isnt always legal and whats legal isnt always right  
[North]: i no whats right and whats legal and i care whats right asshole!!!!1!  
[LT800]: dont break the law  
[North]: YER NOT MY DAD  
[LT800]: im also not a cop  
[North]: u rite but still,,,  
[North]: @Simon meet u by that weirdass statue, ill bring my laptop.  
[Simon]: ok i'll be there  
[Markus]: can you at least give us an idea of what you are up to @North?  
[Markus]: maybe more of us can help.  
[North]: i can tell u my endgame  
[North]: if robocop is added 2 the school security, he wont need to hide & shit rite??  
[Markus]: right, but even if you add hank to their inventory, someone is going to notice there’s a new rare model android  
[North]: ya thats why this shits takin so long  
[North]: but i got it just need simons robonerd shit for 1 thing  
[Markus: alright, i’ll trust you know what you’re doing  
[North]: thx

[10-13-2038 12:23:11AM] 

[Connor]: Hank, can I ask you a personal question?  
[LT800]: you dont gotta ask me a question to ask me a question  
[LT800]: go ahead  
[Connor]: Are you deviant?  
[LT800]: JESUS CONNOR YOU CANT JUST ASK SOME1 IF THEYRE DEVIANT  
[Connor]: That’s why I asked!  
[LT800]: messin w/ ya again tho i dont have an answer 4 u kid sry  
[Connor]: It was worth a try.  
[North]: stop bein nosey like always connerd!!!  
[North]: anyway robocop everythin is fallin in place so heres what i need from you  
[LT800]: shoot  
[North]: 2morrow morning u gonna report to the security office @ 8  
[North]: put on ur best roboface and tell em cyberlife sent you i already sent an email sayin that they wanna test a prototype w their team  
[Connor]: YOU FORGED A EMAIL?  
[North]: ya u no the security guys r not sharp  
[North]: as long as robocop plays his part they wont question it  
[Connor]: You’ve actually got a point. Gavin’s got his head up his butt, Ben doesn’t care enough, and Chris is just green.  
[LT800]: and u want me to work with these meatbags?!  
[North]: ben and chris r cool but gavin will start shit so watch out 4 that  
[LT800]: how do u know this?  
[Connor]: By compiling the collective information acquired by the student body.  
[North]: shit CONNERD just say school gossip fuck  
[Connor]: Got it.  
[North]: anyway if robocop is security, hes got a job, can use the robolab, and hang w us off duty  
[LT800]: guess I owe you 1, kid  
[North]: you bet ur ass you do :)  
[Connor]: Don’t make him do crimes, North!  
[LT800]: im doing all of the crimes  
[North]: fuck yeah  
[LT800]: sumo says he’ll do crimes 2  
[LT800] has attached an image: sumodreamsofcrime.png [open][save]  


[Connor]: I draw the line at corrupting Sumo  
![North]: bring it connerd u cant stop me  
[North]: anyway u got it robocop??  
[LT800]: security office 0800 ‘my name is hank, i’m the android sent by cyberlife’ etc etc got it  
[North]: k good

[10-13-2038 14:10:44AM] 

[Markus]: just a thought, but maybe hank’s uniform shouldn’t have dpd stuff on it?  
[Connor]: Yeah, don’t want the question of “Why aren’t you with the police department anymore?” to come up.  
[LT800]: theyre just sewn on patches other dpd androids dont wear my uniform @ least they didnt before  
[Markus]: i’ll bring sewing scissors after class  
[Markus]: which is less than an hour now, woo!  
[Josh]: Isn’t there a class leadership meeting today?  
[Markus]: OOPS! Okay, after the meeting then.  
[LT800]: u know where 2 find me  
[LT800]: not goin anywhere  
[Connor]: But that’ll change tomorrow!  
[LT800]: im so excited /sarcasm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More saccharine shenanigans: [LT Hunk @ Tumblr](http://lt-hunk.tumblr.com)


	5. The Case of The Illustrated Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A collection of artwork by the author of this alternate universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel guilty that I haven't released the next chapter yet, just because I've been caught up in drawing. Usually I can only really do one creative endeavor at a time with my free time, so writing has lost a little bit. I just wanted to let those who have this bookmarked and what not know that I haven't abandoned this fic and share some of the art I've done for it. Thank you all for your comments and kudos. [LT-Hunk@Tumblr](http://lt-hunk.tumblr.com)

All the relevant students of Kamski School of Technology:  


The six grade homeroom teacher, Miss Chloe:  


A diagram of LT800. He's built to be more sturdy and durable, and they only bothered applying the synthetic skin to his head, since the rest is covered by uniform:  


What happened the night the kids brought LT to the school after digging him out of the trash:  


A glimpse into LT's first day as the new security bot prototype reporting to Gavin:  


LT hanging out with the Jeri-kids after school:  


The kids celebrate LT's birthday, baking a cake they know he can't eat so they can because birthdays are for cake always:  


LT comes to Connor's rescue.  


LT lookin' blue:  



End file.
